Among many memorable phrases left to us by Pope Francis is his suggestion that we are not so much in an era of change as a change of era. It is a phrase that was evoked at the 16th Assembly of the International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS) that has just concluded in Pretoria.
Its theme was “Walking Together in Mission: Facing Global Challenges for a Sustainable World.” Of course, “mission” has been widely dismissed as an outdated and indefensible idea. IAMS is something of a dissident community, made up of people from many different parts of the world who insist that mission remains an essential topic for study.
Another evocative phrase that I took away from the conference is that, “the natural world and the social world are fraying together.” You could have attended earlier Assemblies of IAMS and never heard any mention of ecology. Not now! The environmental crisis was front and centre in the discussions at Pretoria. There is a new, deep and urgent awareness that mission must be concerned not only with human destiny but with the integrity of the entire creation.
If the environmental crisis were the only issue calling for attention, we would still have a mountain to climb. The reality, however, is that the social world is also fraying, with economic inequality, political fragmentation, militarisation and artificial intelligence posing questions to which we struggle to find answers.
A hint that I take away from the conference is that a movement of mission that creates hope for the future might well be a matter of “bottom-up” rather than “top-down.” While great nations and international institutions are manifestly failing to rise to the challenge of the issues facing us today, in local communities and grassroots faith expressions, fresh vision is being formed and new energy generated. Might it be a great movement of mission from below that brings the healing and the hope for which the world is crying out?
Thinking Mission Blog 